Defensive warfare is a mistake

Senator Obama (As do many others) feel that invading Iraq has caused many more problems than it has solved. We took our eyes off of the ball. The war is in Afghanistan and we directed way too much effort into Iraq. We should withdraw from Iraq as quickly as possible, and place a portion of these forces into Afghanistan. No more toppling governments, no more wars of ‘occupation’. In other words, we will wage no more offensive warfare. Only attack when attacked. He will take us off of the strategic offensive and place us on the defensive.

While defensive warfare is an important part of fighting terrorism, wars are not won by playing good defense. The police fill an important part in playing good defense by arresting terrorists in their ‘safe’ houses. Effective defense will prevent attacks on a tactical level. The problem is that taking a strategic stance that is defensive in nature will not change the overall tide of the war. The strategic offensive is required to do so.

Taking the offensive when you don’t have the means usually ends in defeat within a short period of time. However, the United States Military has not been defeated in open battle in a long time. Tactically we have lost; the bombing of the Marine barracks in 1983 is an example. However, at the operational and strategic level, we have not seen defeat since Korea in the early 1950’s. We did not lose a single battle in Vietnam, and we dominated in Gulf War I and II. The defeat of our enemies in open battle in Iraq has forced our enemy to retreat. Switching to defensive warfare after such a victory would throw many of the hard won advantages away. This is the time to press the attack home. This is not the time to allow our enemies to recover and re-deploy.